Centrifugal machine



May 29, 1934. J. MQFFAT' 1,960,950

' CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed NOV. 29, 1929 Z'ShBBtS-Sh'GBt l May 29, 1934.

J. MO FFAT 4 CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed Nov. 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 29, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE hurst Machine Work Delaware s, Inc., a corporation of Application November 29, 1929, Serial No. 410,400

1 Claim. (Cl. 7510-71) This invention relates to centrifugal machines and more particularly to improvements in the mounting of the casing of a centrifugal extractor, dryer, or the like. I

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claim.

The invention consists in the novel parts, con struction, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the left-hand portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1; and

.Fig. 3 is a detailed elevation, partly in section of a link for use in connection with. the present invention.

The invention is directed to providing a mounting for the casing of a centrifugal which will leave the casing substantially free to gyrate about an axis or gyration determined by-the unbalanced load in the centrifugal basket to thereby eliminate the undesirable pounding, dancing, and other disturbances which occur when a centrifugal is prevented from assuming a free gyratory path. The invention is further directed to provide such a mounting which can be easily manufactured, assembled, and replaced and which will be more durable than the mountings heretofore employed, at the same time providing a centrifugal mounting which can be adjusted with greater facility than has heretofore been the case. The invention also provides a simple and efficient means by which the casing and basket can be easily and accurately levelled, even when the base of the centrifugal is not levelled, thereby reducing the strain and wear on the bearings for the basket spindle and insuring a smoother operation of the machine spindle preventing unnecessary wear.

More specifically, the invention is directed to providingan improved centrifugal mounting of the multi-point link-suspension type wherein the centrifugal casing is usually suspended from sup- 55. porting pedestals by a plurality of links of variable length which permit gyratory movement of the casing in a substantially horizontal path. One variety of mounting of the general type referred to is shown in the patent to T. A. Bryson, No. 1,311,871, and more particularly in the copending application of J. J. McKeon, Ser. No. 376,899.

The invention provides a laterally movable, multipoint suspension mounting which is designed to give maximum flexibility for this type of suspension, entirely eliminate sliding bearing surfaces for the supporting links, and render the mounting free from vibration transmitted from the casing to the supporting pedestals. The present preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a centrifugal casing suspended from a plurality of pedestals by flexible links which are adapted to yield or flex intermediate their ends. The ends of the links are preferably enlarged and conical and are seated within correspondingly shaped sockets in the casing and supporting pedestals. Preferably, one of the ends is provided with a threaded portion around which is fitted a correspondingly threaded conical member permitting the effective length of the links to be varied, and other means are provided for preventing relative movement of the threaded mem-- bers. The conical members, tightly fitted within their sockets, prevent pounding of the casing and wear on the links, and the yielding nature of the links prevents transmission of vibration from the casing to the pedestals and base.

It will be understood that 'the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are illustrative and exemplary of the invention, but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the presentpreferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, the inventionis shown as applied to a centrifugal drying machine having a perforate basket, although it will be understood that the broad principles of the invention are applicable to other types of centrifugals as well. As embodied, the casing 1, of general cylindrical form, surrounds the perforate rotatable basket 2, which holds the material to be dried or extracted. The details of the casing and basket structure and of the basket drive form no part of the invention and need not be described in detail. In the embodiment shown, the basket and easing structure and the driving mechanism are generally similar to that shown in the patent to T. A. Bryson, No. 1,311,871.

As embodied, the bottom 3 of the casing is upwardly and inwardly inclined and has one or more outlets 51. The casing floor terminates in an upwardly extending flanged hub 5 having a downwardly tapering central aperture 6 of conical form, the aperture serving as a seat for the housing '7 of the basket shaft 8.

The basket 2 may be of the usual cylindrical form, having vertical perforate side walls and at the top an overhanging lip or flange 9. The bottom 10 of the basket is also upwardly and me wardly inclined towards the centre and has at its central portion a bell-shaped upward projection 11. The part 11 terminates in a hub 12, which hub is centrally apertured, the aperture decreasing conically upwardly to form a seating for the basket upon the upward tapering shaft 8. The basket may be angularly fixed to the shaft in any suitable manner.

A cap piece 13, providedpreferably with an oil cup 14, covers the end of the shaft and is fastened to the hub 12. Encircling shaft 8 below the basket hub 12 is a housing '7 which is outwardly conically shaped to seat within the hub 5 of the casing as shown in Fig. 1. The housing 7 is held against rotation relatively to the casing by a set screw or other suitable means. A suitable cap 15 encircles shaft 8 and fits over the top of the bearing housing 7.

The basket shaft 8 is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart radial and thrust bearings (not shown) mounted within the housing '7, preferably having a radial bearing near the upper end of the housing and approximately in a horizontal plane with the centre of gravity of basket and its load and a lower bearing at or near the point of application of the driving force, which in the embodiment shown is at the belt pulley 16. These bearings are within the unitary housing '7 and are shown in detail in the Patent No. 1,311,871. By having one radial hearing at approximately the centre of gravity of the basket and its load and the other in line with the belt pull, the eccentricity of bearing load is reduced to a minimum.

The embodied driving means for the basket shaft comprises the pulley 16 fixed to the end of shaft 8 by a nut 1'! and angularly held by a set screw or other suitable means. A guide pulley 18 is journalled in supporting arms 19 which are fixed to a plate 20 mounted on the casing 1. The driving belt 21, as shown, may be driven from an overhead shaft. A pulley brake is shown in part at-64.

Referring now to the mechanism for flexibly suspending the casing 1, a plurality of fixed pedestals 25, preferably three in number, are equidistantly spaced or otherwise arranged to effect a substantially balanced suspension, about the casing and rigidly secured to the floor 26. The pedestals are preferably lower than the top of the casing, so as to provide for an open-top maclTi'rE, and have overhanging heads 27 for receiving and supporting the downwardly and inwardly inclined suspending links 28 which are connected to the exterior of the casing by lugs 29. The lugs 29 project from the casing exterior preferably in a horizontal plane substantially through the middle portion of the basket, thus supporting the casing substantially in the plane of radial thrust, of the unbalanced load in the basket and thereby preventing any tipping and lifting of the casing in its supports.

It will be clear, however, that the invention is not limited to a casing supported at or near the horizontal central plane thereof, but the suswith an enlarged head or end 101, of a generally frustro-conical shape firmly secured to the end of the link. In the embodied form, the flexible cableforming the link is preferably pierced by relatively short pins 102, closely adjacent each other and extending at right angles to each other, the ends of these pins projecting slightly on each side of the cable or link 28. For securing the pins 102 in place in the link during manufacture, and for preventing fraying of the cable of which the link is made, the cable is preferably tightly wrapped with relatively fine wire 103 for a short distance along the cable at each side of the pins 102. After the end of the cable has been prepared in this manner, the enlarged conical portion is preferably formed thereon by molding, giving a strong, durable, enlarged head firmly attached to the end of the cable.

The other end of each of the links is preferably prepared in a similar manner and provided with pins 102 and the wire wrapping 103, and around this end of each link is preferably molded the enlarged head which is thus tightly and firmly secured to the end of the link. After casting, this end 104 is turned down and threaded throughout substantially its entire length with a relatively fine thread. While these enlarged ends of the cable may be formed of substantially any material, zinc has been found to be preferable by reason of the fact that it adheres more strongly to the steel of which the wire cable is formed, tending to reduce the possibility of the enlarged ends 101 and 104 working loose from the ends of the cable.

The embodied form of means for varying the effective length of the cable and thereby permitting the casing and basket of the centrifugal machine to be leveled even when the pedestals and base are not accurately level, preferably comprises a removable head 105, provided with threads corresponding to the threaded exterior surface of the enlarged end 104, and adapted to be screwed on the threaded end of the link. The exterior of the threaded head 105 is preferably of the general conical shape, similar to the enlarged head 101 at the other end of the link.

For securing the flexible links 28 to the casing, they are preferably tightly held within removable collars 106, seated withinsuitable recesses 10'! formed in lugs 29 on the vertical sides of the casing of the centrifugal machine. The upper ends of the links are preferably similarly secured within correspondingly cone-shaped collars 109, seated in suitable recesses 108 at the top of pedestals 25, and are held against sliding therein by means of packing rings 110, filling the space be tween the collars 109 and the recess 108.

Means are preferably provided for locking the threaded members 104 and 105 against movement relative toeach other, and for holding them in any desired adjusted position, sc .L8 to maintain the level of the casing once the machine has been to begdriven into keyways 112 and 113, formed in the threaded members 104 and 105 respectively.

Means are also provided, in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention, for easily turning either head 101 or the conical-threaded head 105, and these members are preferably provided with an integral, reduced, polygonal portion 115, permitting the heads to be easily turned by a suitable socket or other wrench. By this means enlarged head 101 or the conical-threaded head 105 may be turned to vary the effective length of the link, without removing the links from the machine and without relieving the link to be adjusted of the weight of the centrifugal casing supported by it. When installing the centrifugal machine, the basket and casing can be readily and accurately levelled by making the links of uniform length, or by adjusting them until the basket or casing is level.

The links may be readily assembled and taken down, and for this purpose the apertures 45, 46 are preferably of slightly larger diameter than the enlarged and threaded head 104,and the smallest part of the conical seat of collar 109 is also of suflicient size to allow the threaded head 104 to be passed through it. In assembling, the

threaded head 104 is first passed upwardly through the aperture 46, then through aperture 45 in the pedestal, after which the threaded head 104 is pushed through the collar 109, which has already been properly seated within recess 108 in the upper portion of the pedestal. The conical threaded head 105 may then be screwed on to the threaded end 104 for a suflicient distance to level the basket. As soon as the weight of the casing and the basket is applied to the link 28, the conical members 101 and 105 are tightly and firmly seated in their corresponding collars.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claim without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:+

A link for suspending a centrifugal casing, comprising a flexible strand, short members extending through the strand near its ends, and attaching lugs molded on the ends of the strand.

JAMES MOFFAT. 

